HF drill presses - Page 2

**INJUNTOM** · 07-02-2009, 01:16 AM

I've had good luck with mine. Come by and try it out.

**rudedog** · 07-02-2009, 01:50 AM

We bought a Delta brand drill press from a local tool warehouse for $199.

Delta Machinery|Porter Cable Product Details for 12" Crosshair Laser Drill Press - Model # DP300L

Went through a set of automotive rotors like buttah.

~JM~ · 07-02-2009, 10:17 AM

Everyone please understand that EVERYTHING Harbor Freight sells is JUNK.

There is a local HF store less than 1.5 miles away from my home. It is my last resort store. The only thing that I've really felt good about buying from there is the 6.5 clone engines.

A drill press is an important piece of equipment in your shop. It deserves to be the best piece of equipment you can get. If you are patient & watch your local Craigslist, you should be able to find yourself a real nice, older machine.

I've even seen one pop up in the free section along with a nice band-saw. I was bummed out when I missed that one. You have to be the early bird to snag those deals.

**Mark G** · 08-05-2009, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~JM~

Everyone please understand that EVERYTHING Harbor Freight sells is JUNK.

A drill press is an important piece of equipment in your shop. It deserves to be the best piece of equipment you can get. If you are patient & watch your local Craigslist, you should be able to find yourself a real nice, older machine.

I've even seen one pop up in the free section along with a nice band-saw. I was bummed out when I missed that one. You have to be the early bird to snag those deals.

I can't agree more. The tools they sell are garbage. BUT I am also guilty of using them as a last resort.
However if you shop around the deals are out there. I just got this guy at a local auction for $80 bucks...

**Mark G** · 09-20-2009, 11:18 AM

Just picked this up at a garage sale for $20 bucks.

Harbor Freight.

**steven Durham** · 09-20-2009, 01:43 PM

Floor drill press is Craftsman and paying attention to the drilling speed is the key. A Craigslist purchase brought a Delta bench top and a base stand for $75.00 one for each work shop. Buy quality tools it pays, eat out less often kick the Starbuck's habit.
Steve

**Oldsalt** · 09-21-2009, 01:29 AM

The HF 39 buck drill press seems to be O.K. for light duty. A friend owns one and it does O.K. Hell, a veriable speed hand drill costs more than that. The next step is to buy drills. The cheapest fractional/letter/number set is about 50 dollars. I have a set and for general use they are almost as good my high buck set. If a person does not have anything and can't spend but minimum dollars its hard to beat a drill press that works and a full set of pretty good drills for under a hundred includeing the tax. If I was without anything I'd jump on it like a duck on a junebug.

**GTO** · 09-21-2009, 01:39 AM

I have a craftsman veritable bench top and it's been great over the years, I'd buy a good used one off CL for a good price.

Most of HF tools are crap. Some accessories are good,(like cutting wheels)

I dig the old school press mark.

**swamperjmb** · 09-21-2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark G

I can't agree more. The tools they sell are garbage. BUT I am also guilty of using them as a last resort.
However if you shop around the deals are out there. I just got this guy at a local auction for $80 bucks...

Thats the exact same drill press My grandfather gave me!!!!!! Its a work horse and hasn't given him nor I any problems since he purchased it new.

Oldschool · 09-22-2009, 10:29 AM

I would like to third that motion on not buying cheap power tools.

On the one hand realy good stuff is expensive but if you look for used stuff often you will find it.

I have a Canadian Blower and Forge drill press ( Buffalo forge in the USA ) made in the 1960s. Its a heavy brute of thing thats double what a comparable Chinese press of equal power would weigh ( needed to use a chain fall to load it ).

It will last my lifetime and even came with an assortment of taper shank drill bits and an extra chuck.

Sadly I got it for free....
I say this because it had no more work to do but I gave it a good home.

AND if you buy a piece of quality American or Canadian made surplus machine tools you can sleep better knowing it will not end up scrap, you put money in the hand of a local man and that iron won't come back someday as a Chinese something or other....